7,000,000,000 – Overall state funding for public two-and four-year colleges in 2018 was more than $7 billion below its 2008 level, after adjusting for inflation.

45 – The number of states that spent less per-student in the 2018 school year than in 2008.

4 – Only four states spent more in 2018 than in 2008: California, Hawaii, North Dakota, and Wyoming.

2,651 – Since the 2008 school year, average annual published tuition has risen by $2,651 nationally, or roughly 36 percent.

19 – Per-student funding for North Carolina’s public colleges and universities in 2018 is 19% below 2008 levels when adjusted for inflation

2,293 – Average tuition in North Carolina is up by $2,293 for four-year public colleges and universities over the last decade.

14 % – In 2008, average tuition and fees at a public four-year institution accounted for 14 percent of a family’s median household income.

16.5 % – By 2017 average tuition and fees at a public four-year institution accounted for 16.5 percent of a family’s median household income.

19 % – The burden of college costs is particularly heavy for households of color. The average cost of in-state tuition and fees comprised 19 percent of the median household income in 2017 for Black households in North Carolina. For Hispanic households, average tuition and fees amounted to 18% of the median household income.

36.4% – The number of undergraduates in the UNC System who were Pell grant recipients in 2016 (Source: UNC System)

185, 880 – The number of undergraduate students enrolled in the UNC system in 2017 (Ibid)

46,992 – The number of graduate students enrolled across the UNC system in 2017 (Ibid)

$28,650 – The national average student loan debt in 2017 for graduates of four-year colleges and universities (Source: The Institute for College Access & Success)

66 – The percent of college students nationwide who graduated last year carrying debt (Ibid)

57 – The percent of North Carolina college students carrying debt last year from public and private four-year institutions (Ibid)

About the author

Clayton Henkel, Communications Coordinator for N.C. Policy Watch, joined the project in November 2009. She is responsible for the project's website and newsletter management as well as production of its weekly "News and Views" radio program.clayton@ncpolicywatch.com
919-861-2067